Cap gun toy



Sept 19, 1967 J. W. RYAN ETAL 3,341,964

CAP GUN ToY Filed Dec. 28, 1965 2 Sheets-Shee l ag??? mm Sept 19, 1967 J. W. RYAN ETAL CAP GUN TOY 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Deo. 28, 1965 United States Patent O 3,341,964 CAP GUN TOY John W. Ryan, Bel Air, Warren Dale Kabot, Manhattan Beach, and .lohn Harmer Northrop, La Canada, Calif.,

assguors to Mattel, Inc., Hawthorne, Calif., a corporation of California Filed Dec. 28, 1965, Ser. No. 517,005 7 Claims. (Cl. 42-57) ABSTRACT F THE DHSCLOSURE A knife frame carries a cap-firing mechanism and a knife blade.V When the knife handle is swung normal to the lframe, a trigger is exposed and a simulated gun barrel is extended from a retracted position within the frame. The knife handle may then be used as a pistol grip.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the invention The present invention relates to a new and useful cap gun toy and more particularly to a new and useful cap feeding and firing mechanism which may be advantageously used in combination with a new and useful toy gun of the present invention having a plurality of movably connected sectional members and including means for holding the sectional members in a rst position simulating an innocuous object, means for releasing the holding means and means for maintaining the sectional members in a second position simulating a gun.

The disclosure of a copending application which was led January 18, 1965 under Serial No. 426,150, now Patent No. 3,267,600, and which is held by the assignee of the instant application, is hereby incorporated herein by reference.

Description of the prior art A number of diiferent types of prior-art cap feeding and firing mechanisms are known. In a number of these prior-art mechanisms, separate springs are employed for loading a pawl which feeds a strip of caps into position adjacent an anvil and for slamming a hammer against the anvil to re the caps when a trigger is actuated. While generally satisfactory, such cap feeding and ring mechanisms do have certain disadvantages.

One disadvantage resides in the fact that manufacturing costs are increased by employing separate springs for the pawl and the hammer than would be the case were a single spring employed for both mechanisms.

Another disadvantage resides in the fact that the pawl spring, being made of comparatively light material, becomes weakened in use resulting in inadequate cap-feeding operations.

Yet another disadvantage resides in the fact that the use of two springs results in a more bulky structure than is the case where a single spring is employed, as is in the cap -feeding and tiring mechanism of the present invention.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In view of the foregoing factors and conditions characteristic of cap feeding and firing mechanisms, it is a primary object of the present invention to provide a new and useful cap feeding and tiring mechanism not subject to the disadvantages enumerated above and which may be advantageously incorporated into a toy gun of the type having a plurality of movably connected sectional members which are held in a rst position simulating an innocuous object by a first holding means and which includes means for releasing the holding means and means 3,341,964 Patented Sept. 19, 1967 A further object of the present invention is to provide anV arrangement 'for disguising a toy gun as a pocket-knife.

According to the present invention, a toy gun is provided which includes a plurality of movably connected sectional members which are held in a first position simulating an innocuous object by a holding means and which includes means for releasing the holding means together with means for maintaining the sectional members in a second position simulating a gun. The innoucuous object comprises a pocket-knife including a blade which may be either simulated or functional. The blade is mounted in a frame resembling the frame for a conventional pocket knife. However, the frame includes a passageway in which a simulated gun barrel is telescopically mounted so that the barrel may be recessed within the Aframe where it is hidden from view.

The knife also includes a simulated knife handle which is pivotally connected to the frame in such a manner that it may be swung to a position normal to the frame whereupon the handle serves as a grip for a pistol. The handle includes a protuberance which engages the barrel to maintain it in position within the passageway against the force of a compressed spring which biases the barrel both downwardly against the protuberance and to an extended position. Thus, when the handle is swung to its position normal to the frame, the barrel is released so that the spring will extend it from the frame to a position where it simulates a pistol barrel.

A new and useful cap feeding and ring mechanism of the present invention is incorporated into the frame for the knife and includes a trigger which folds up into the frame when the handle is closed upon the Aframe and which swings to an operative position when the handle is swung to its position normal to the frame.

The cap feeding and ring mechanism includes a lever which is pivotally mounted in the frame. The trigger is operatively associated with one of the ends of the lever for rotating it and a cap-feeding pawl is pivotally mounted on the other end of the lever. The pawl is engageable with a cap-tiring anvil means provided in the portion of the frame which serves to pivotally mount the knife blade. A hammer means is pivotally mounted in the frame adjacent said other end of the lever and includes a cam face engageable by the cap-feeding pawl for rotating the hammer means away from the anvil means against the force of a hammer spring. The cam face on the hammer means coacts with a lug provided on the capfeeding pawl to rotate the pawl into iirm engagement with a strip of caps for feeding them into position on the anvil means when the trigger is squeezed to rotate the lever upwardly within the frame. The hammer spring includes (l) a body portion which is coiled about a pin pivotally mounting the hammer means, (2) a rst arm engaging the hammer means and (3) a second arm engaging the lever to bias it downwardly again after it has been swung upwardly by the trigger.

The features of the present invention which are believed to be novel are set forth with particularity in the appended claims. The present invention, both as to its organization and manner of operation, together with further objects and advantages thereof, may best be understood by reference to the following description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which like reference characters refer to like elements in the several views.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIGURE l is an elevational view of the cap firing and feeding mechanism of the present invention including a partial cross-sectional view of a frame supporting the cap-feeding and firing mechanism preceding a firing operation;

FIGURE 2 is a view similar to FIG. 1 showing the relative positions of the parts during a firing operation;

FIGURE 3 is a partial view similar to FIG. 1 showing the relative position-s of the cap feeding mechanism and the hammer means during the firing of a cap;

FIGURE 4 is an enlarged, cross-sectional view taken along line 4 4 of FIG. 3;

FIGURE 5 is an enlarged, partial cross-sectional view showing a modified form of the trigger and associated lever of the device shown in FIG. l; y

FIGURE 6 is a perspective view of a toy gun of the present invention having sectional members held in a first position simulating an innocuous object in the form of a pocket knife incorporating the cap feeding and firing mechanism shown in FIGS. 1-5;

FIGURE 7 is a perspective view of the toy gun of FIG. 6 showing the sectional members arranged in a second position simulating a gun;

FIGURE 8 is an enlarged, elevational view taken along line 8 8 of FIG. 6 and having parts broken away to show internal construction; and

FIGURE 9 is an enlarged, elevational view taken along line 9-9 of FIG. 7 and having parts broken away to show internal construction.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring again to the drawings, and particularly to FIGS. 1-5, a cap gun toy constituting a presently preferred embodiment of the invention, generally designated 10, may take any convenient form. For example, the gun 10 may be in the form of the pocket-knife pistol shown in FIGS. 6-9. The gun 1t) includes a frame 12 comprising parallel, spaced-apart side plates 13- and 14 between which an anvil means 15 is mounted. The anvil means 15 includes a substantially upright hammerengaging portion 16 and a lower, curved, cap-guiding portion 18. The frame 12 is also provided with a land 20 to which a hand-grip, not shown, may be pivotally connected.

The gun 10 also includes a cap-feeding and iring mechanism 22 which is also mounted in the frame 12 between the plates 13 and 14. The mechanism 22 includes a trigger means 23 comprising a lever 24 having a rst end 26 pivotally connected to the frame 12 by a pin 28 having its ends, not shown, supported by associated plates 13 and 14. The lever 24 includes a second end 30 to which a cap-feeding pawl 32 is pivotally connected by a pin 34.

The cap-feeding and tiring mechanism 22 also includes a hammer means 36 which is rotatably mounted in the frame 12 on a pin 38 having ends, not shown, mounted on associated side plates 13, 14. The hammer means 36 includes an anvil engaging portion 40 which may be slammed into engagement with the anvil means 15 by a spring 42 having a body portion 44 coiled about the pin 38, a first arm 46 engaging a pin 48 provided on the hammer means 36 and a second arm 50 engaged in an elongated slot 52 provided in the lever 24 intermediate the ends 26 and 30. With this arrangement, the spring 42 also biases the lever 24 to the position shown in FIG. 1 and returns it to this position from the elevated position shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 after each cap-firing operation.

The trigger means 23 also comprises a trigger 54 for swinging the lever 24 to the elevated position shown in FIG. 2. If desired, the trigger 54 may be pivotally mounted on the pin 28 so that it can be folded to a position within the frame 12 between the plates 13 and 14 by swinging it in a counter clockwise direction, as viewed in FIGS. l and 2, against the bias of a triggerspring 56. The spring 56 includes a body portion 58 coiled about the pin 28, a first arm 60 engaginga ledge 62 provided on the plate 13 and a second arm 64 having a hooked end 66 engaging ay pin 68 provided on the trigger 54. The trigger 54 carries a lug 70 which engages the end 26 of lever 24 to swing it in a clockwise direction, as viewed in FIG. 2, when the trigger 54 is pulled in the direction of arrow 72. At this time the end 26 of lever 24 is shifted laterally toward plate 14 by a camming surface 71 provided on the lug 70 for a purpose to be hereinafter mentioned. If it is not desired to fold the trigger 54 up into the frame 12, the lug 70 and spring 56 may be eliminated by forming the lever 24 and trigger 54 integrally, as shown in FIG. 5 for a lever 24a and a trigger 54a forming a part of a modified cap-feeding and ring mechanism 22a which may be rotatably mounted on the pin 28 in the frame 12.

The cap feeding pawl 32 includes a pressure foot 76 engageable with a strip of percussive caps 78 to feed them into position between the anvil engaging portion 40 of the hammer means 36 and the hammer-engaging portion 16 of the anvil means 15 when the end 30 of lever 24 is moved upwardly in frame 12 by swinging the lever 24 in a clockwise direction, as viewed in FIG. 2. This progressively moves the pressurefoot Y76 along a path defined by the broken lines shown in FIG. 2 tothe uppermost position shown therein in solid lines. The pressure foot 76 is maintained in positive engagement with the cap strip 78 during this movement by the urging of the pawl 32 inra clockwise direction about pin 34 by the coaction of a lug SE1 carried by a hub 82 formed on the pawl 32 at its end which is remote from the pressure foot 76 and the spring-biased hammer means 36. This coaction is brought about by having the' lug 80 engage a cam face or ramp 84 provided on the hammer means 36. This engagement is assured because the end 30 of lever 24 moves laterally toward ramp 84 when cam face 71 on lug 70 moves end 26 toward plate 14 during initial actuation of trigger 54, as previously described. The slope of the cam face 84 is such that the lug 80 also rotates the hammer means 36 about pin 38 in a clockwise direc'- tion, as viewed in FIG. 2, away from theV anvil means 15 during clockwise rotation of the lever 24. When the lever 24 reaches the upper end of its travel, the lug 80 becomes disengaged from the upper end 84a of ramp 84 whereupon the spring 42 slams the hammer means 36 against the `anvil means 15 tiring a percussive cap 85 provided on the strip 78. At this time, the lug 80 slides over the upper end 84a of the cam face 84, as indicated by arrow 88 in FIG. 4, and slides down a sloping face 90 provided on the hammer means 36 taking a path deiined by the broken arrow 92 shown in FIG. 3 where the pressure foot 76 is guided into the position shown in FIG. l by a pin 93 provided in frame 12 and by the lateral flexibility of the lever 24 pivoting laterally near pin 28. The pawl 32 is given rigidity by connecting theV pressure foot 76 to the hub portion 82 with a gusset plate 94.

Referring now to FIGS. 6-9, the cap-feeding and firing mechanism 22 shown in FIGS. 1-4 may be advantageously incorporated into a cap gun toy including a plurality of movably connected sectional members 102, 104 and 106 which may be held in a first position simulating an innocuous object, as shown Iin FIG. 6, in the form of a pocket knife 108 by a suitable holding means indicated generally of 110. The toy 100 also includes means, indicated generally at 112, for releasing the holding means 110 and biasing means indicated at 114 for bias-ing the sectional members 102, 104 and 106 to a second position simulating a pistol 116, as shown in FIG. 7. The sectional members 102, 104 and 106 are maintained in their FIG. 7 positions by a maintaining means indicated generally at 118.

The sectional member 104 includes a frame 119 having side plates 119a and 1191) between which an anvil means 120 is mounted. The anvil means 120 includes an upper, hammer-engaging portion 121 and a lower, curved cap-guiding portion 122 which extends into a capstorage chamber 123 superjacent a swingable gate 124. The gate 124 is pivotally connected to the frame 119 by a pin 125 and includes a lip 126 at its free end 127 which is engageable with ledge 128 formed by inturned flanges 129 and 130 provided on the plates 119a and 119b, respectively. Y Y y, Y Y n Y The cap feeding and firingV mechanism 22, which was described in detail in connection with FIGS. l-4, may be mounted in frame 119 between plates 11951 and 119b in such a manner that the pressure foot 76 of cap-feeding pawl 32 extends into operative engagement with a strip of caps 78 for feeding individual caps 85 into operative position between the hammer means 36 and the anvil means 120 from a cap roll 132 rotatably mounted in chamber 123 on a pin 134. The upper end 136 of the cap strip 78 may extend through a rectangular aperture 138 provided in the flanges 130 and 129 superjacent the hammer means 36.

The trigger 54 and the lever 24 are rotatably mounted in the frame 119 on a pin 140 about which the body portion 58 of the spring 56 is coiled in such a manner that the hooked end 66 of spring 56 engages the pin 68 provided on the trigger 54 and the arm 60 of spring 56 engages a ledge 142 mounted in the frame 119 between the plates 119a and 119b.

The plates 119a and 119b are provided with a passageway 144 defined by the flanges 129 and 130 which, as shown in FIG. 9 for the flange 129, have thickened portions 146 adjacent the end 148 of sect-ional member 104 which is remote from the cap storage chamber 123. The passageway 144 reciprocally receives the sectional member 106. The sectional member 106 simulates a gun barrel and may be telescoped into the sectional member 104 through a keyhole-type aperture 150 provided in the end 148 by sliding the member 106 in the direction of arrow 152 against the force exerted by a compression spring 154 forming a part of the biasing means 114.

The sectional member 106 includes a simulated gun sight 156 including a rectangular member 158 which extends axially along the encompassing side wall 162 of the member 106 and an upstanding protuberance 160.

.The member 158 rides in the slotted portion 164 of the aperture 150 enhancing the appearance of the toy 10 during reciprocaton of the sectional member 106 with the channel 144.

The sectional member 106 is also provided with a counter bore 166 extending from its end 168 which is remote from the protuberance 160 to a point adjacent the protuberance 160 forming an annular shoulder 169 for the reception of one end 170 of the spring 154. The spring 154 has its -other end 172 bearing against a tilted portion 174 mounted in the sectional member 104 between the plates 119a and 119b in such a manner that spring 154 biases the end 168 of member 106 downwardly in sectional member 104 into engagement with a portion of the holding means 110 to be hereinafter described.

When the holding means 110 is released the sectional member 102 swings to the position shown in FIG. 9 and the sectional member 106 is moved under the influence of spring 154 from the recessed or telescoped position shown in FIG. 8 to the extended position shown -in FIG. 9 where a plurality of ribs 176 provided on the end 168 of sectional member 106 are brought into wedged engagement with the thickened portions 146 to firmly support the member 106 in its extended position.

The sectional member 102 comprises a C-shaped member having a bight portion 178, a rst ange 180 and a second flange 182. The member 102 is pivotally mounted on the sectional member 104 by the pin 125 and may be rotated from the position shown in FIG. 6, where it simulates the handle of a pocket knife, in the direction of arrow 186 to the position shown in FIG. 7, which is substantially normal to the sectional member 104 and which simulates the handle of a pistol.

The means 114 for biasing the sectional members 102, 104 and 106 to their second position, as shown in FIG. 7, includes a spring 188 having a body portion 190 encompassing the pin 125 and a rst arm 192 bearing against a guide ange193 whichguides thestrip of caps 78 onto the lower portion 122 of anvil means 120. The spring 188 also has a second arm 194 bearing against the bight portion 178 for swinging the sectional member 102 from its FIG. 6 position to its FIG. 7 position when the holding means 110 is released in a manner to be hereinafter described.

The holding means 110 includes a protuberance 196 having a beveled end 198 which is engagea-ble with a notch 200 provided in the sectional member 106 for retaining it in its retracted position, as shown in FIG. 8. The holding means 110 also includes an elongated slot 282 which is provided in the sectional member 102 at the junction of the flange 182 and the bight portion 178. The slot 202 coacts with a leaf spring 204 to hold the sectional member 102 in its first pos-ition (FIG. 6) where it simulates the handle of a pocket knife. When the leaf spring 204 is moved in the direction of arrow 206, it passes out of slot 202 permitting the sectional member 102 to swing to its FIG. 7 position under the inliuence of spring 188 where it is maintained by the maintaining means 118 which comprises the engagement of the end 208 of spring 204 with a notch 210 in the edge of the flange 182. The releasing means 112 for releasing the leaf spring 204 comprises a leg 212 of the spring 204 which is affixed to a protuberance 213 in sectional member 104 and permits exing the spring 204 in the direction of arrow 206.

The simulation of an innocuous object in the form 0f a pocket knife is enhanced by rotatably mounting a knife blade 214 in the frame 119 on the pin 134 in such a manner that the knife blade 214 may be swung from the closed position shown in solid lines in FIG. 8 to the open positions shown in broken lines therein.

The knife blade 214 may take the form of a conventional, sharpened knife blade or it may take the form of a simulated blade made out of a soft material such :as rubber or the like to minimize the likelihood of injury to a child user of the boy 100.

In use, the cap gun toy may have its sectional members 102, 104 and 106 maintained in the first position shown in FIG. 6 for simulating an innocuous object in the form of a pocket knife. The sectional member 106 is maintained in its retracted position against spring 154 by the protuberance 196 provided on the sectional member 102 and the sectional member 102 is, in turn, retained in its FIG. 6 position by the leaf spring 204.

The spring 204 may be pushed inwardly in the direction of arrow 206 t-o release sectional member 102 which is automatically swung to its FIG. 7 position normal to the sectional member 104 under the inuence of spring 188. The sectional member 102 is retained in the second position by the edge 208 of the spring 204 engaging the notch 210 in the edge of flange 182. As the sectional member 102 swings to its second position, the spring 56 swings the trigger 54 from its folded position shown in FIG. 8 to its extended position shown in FIGS. 7 and 9. In addition, as the sectional member 102 swings to its second position, the sectional member 106 is expelled from the sectional member 104 by the spring 154 which moves the member 104 to its second position.

When the sectional members 102, 104 and 106 are in their second positions shown in FIG. 7, a user of the cap gun toy 100 may grasp the sectional member 102 in the manner that a grip lon a pistol is grasped and eX- tend one nger into engagement with the trigger 54. The trigger S4 may then be squeezed swinging the lever 24 in a clockwise direction, :as viewed in FIG. 9, causing the pawl 32 to rotate the hammer means 36 in a clockwise direction away from the 4anvil means 120 while simultaneously feeding the strip 78 upwardly in the direction of aperture 138 until a percussive cap 85 is positioned between the cap striking portion 40 of hammer means 36 and the portion 121 of the anvil means 120 at which time the pawl 32 releases the hammer means 36 so that it will be slammed against the percussive cap 85 by the hammer spring 42 (shown in FIGS. 1-4) While the particular cap gun toy herein shown and described in detail is fully capable of attaining the objects and providing the advantages hereinbefore stated, it is to be understood that it is merely illustrative of the presently preferred embodiment of the invention and that no limitations are intended to the details of construction or design herein shown other than as defined in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A cap gun toy, comprising:

a gun frame having anvil means therein provided with a cap guiding surface;

a lever pivotally mounted in said frame, said lever having first and second ends;

a trigger operatively associated with said first end of said lever for rotating said lever;

cap-feeding means pivotally mounted `on said second end of said lever, said cap-feeding means comprising a pawl pivotally mounted on said second end of said lever and having a pressure foot thereon slidably engageable with said cap guiding surface to feed a strip of percussive caps therealong into firing position and having a lug thereon spaced from said pressure foot;

hammer means pivotally mounted in said frame adjacent said second end of said lever, said hammer means including a cam face spaced from and facing said guiding surface and being slidably engageable by said lug, said lug and pressure foot being so related that pressure of said cam lface against said lug urges said pressure foot toward said guiding surface and said hammer means is pivoted away from said anvil means when said lever is rotated by said trigger; :and

spring means connected to said hammer means for urging said hammer means into engagement with said anvil means.

2. A gun toy comprising:

a plurality of movably connected sectional members, one of said members comprising a pocket knife frame and another comprising a gun barrel means movably mounted in said knife frame;

means for holding said sectional members in a first position simulating a pocket knife;

means for releasing said holding means; and

means for maintaining said sectional members in a second position simulating a gun;

said gun barrel means being within said knife frame when said members are in said first position and extending therefrom when said members are in said second position.

3. A gun toy comprising:

a plurality of movably connected sectional members,

ione of said sectional members comprising a knife frame, another of said sectional members comprising gun barrel means reciprocally mounted in said knife frame, said gun barrel means being telescoped into said knife frame when said sectional members are held in a first position and extending from said frame When said sectional members are maintained in a second position;

means for holding said sectional members in said first position simulating an innocuous object;

means for releasing said holding means; and

means for maintaining said sectional members in said second position simulating a gun.

4. A gun toy as stated in claim 3 wherein yet another of said sectional members comprises handle means pivotally connected to said frame, said handle means cornprising a knife handle when said sectional members are held in said first position and comprising a gun grip when said sectional members are maintained n said second position.

5. A gun toy as stated in claim 4 including a knife blade rotatably mounted in said frame for rotation from a closed position to an open position.

6. A gun toy as stated in claim 4 including a capst-orage magazine provided in said frame and a cap feeding and firing mechanism mounted in said frame for feeding said magazine and firing them in said frame.

7. A gun toy as stated in claim 4 including a capstorage magazine and anvil means provided in at least one of said sectional members and a cap feeding and firing mechanism mounted in one lof said sectional members for feeding caps from said magazine and firing them against said anvil means, said cap feeding and firing mechanism comprising:

a lever pivotally mounted in said one sectional member, said lever having rst and second ends; trigger means operatively associated With one end of said lever for rotating said lever; cap feeding means pivotally mounted on the |other end of said lever, said cap-feeding means being engageable with said anvil means to feed said caps into iiring position; hammer means pivotally mounted in said one section-al member adjacent said other end of said lever, said hammer means including a cam face engageable by said cap-feeding means for rotating said hammer means away from said anvil means and for rotating said cap-feeding means lcoward said anvil means when said lever is rotated in a predetermined direction by said trigger means; and spring means connected to said hammer means for urging said hammer means into engagement with said anvil means when said lever reaches the end of its travel in said predetermined direction.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 878,509 2/1908 Dillard 46-176 1,269,854 6/1918 Pottier 42-57 2,290,995 7/ 1942 Rickenbacher 42-57 2,597,089 5/1952 Everett 42-57 3,026,643 3/1962 Goldfarb 42-57 3,267,600 8/1966 Ryan 42-54 SAMUEL FEINBERG, Primary Examiner.

BENJAMIN A. BORCHELT, Examiner.V 

2. A GUN TOY COMPRISING: A PLURALITY OF MOVABLY CONNECTED SECTIONAL MEMBERS, ONE OF SAID MEMBERS COMPRISING A POCKET KNIFE FRAME AND ANOTHER COMPRISING A GUN BARREL MEANS MOVABLY MOUNTED IN SAID KNIFE FRAME; MEANS FOR HOLDING SAID SECTIONAL MEMBERS IN A FIRST POSITION SIMULATING A POCKET KNIFE; MEANS FOR RELEASING SAID HOLDING MEANS; AND MEANS FOR MAINTAINING SAID SECTIONAL MEMBERS IN A SECOND POSITION SIMULATING A GUN; SAID GUN BARREL MEANS BEING WITHIN SAID KNIFE FRAME WHEN SAID MEMBERS ARE IN SAID FIRST POSITION AND EXTENDING THEREFROM WHEN SAID MEMBERS ARE IN SAID SECOND POSITION. 